Epic Nacho Chicken Mac ’n’ Cheese
with a Tortilla Chip Topping & Smoky Red Pepper Crema
Why choose between two comfort food dishes when you can combine them into one epic dinner? This week, our chefs give mac ’n’ cheese the nacho treatment, stirring twirly cavatappi noodles into a queso-style, creamy spiced cheddar sauce. Of course, you can’t have nachos without the toppings—here, we’ve got crumbled blue corn tortilla chips for crunch and more cheeses for melt factor, plus smoky red pepper crema, scallions, and hot sauce. Your dinner companions will be fighting over the last bite.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Ingredients
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
2 unit
Scallions
1 clove
Garlic
2 tablespoon
Smoky Red Pepper Crema
(Contains Milk)
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
1 tablespoon
Flour
(Contains Wheat)
6 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains Milk)
1 cup
White Cheddar Cheese
(Contains Milk)
1.5 ounce
Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
(Contains Sesame)
½ cup
Mexican Cheese Blend
(Contains Milk)
1 teaspoon
Hot Sauce
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Oil
Butter
(Contains Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Instructions
• Heat broiler to high. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Core, deseed, and dice green pepper into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Peel and mince garlic. • Place smoky red pepper crema in a small bowl. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Drain.
• While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a medium, preferably ovenproof, pan (use a large, preferably ovenproof, pan for 4 servings) over medium heat. Add green pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. • Add Southwest Spice Blend, scallion whites, garlic, and 2 TBSP butter (3 TBSP for 4); cook, stirring, until butter has melted and scallion whites are softened, 1 minute.
Add chicken* or beef* to pan along with green pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until green pepper is softened and chicken or beef is browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Cook through the rest of this step as instructed.
• Stir flour into pan until smooth and incorporated, 1 minute. Gradually stir in 1⁄2 cup water (3⁄4 cup for 4 servings) until fully combined. • Add cream cheese and cook, stirring, until fully incorporated and sauce has thickened, 1-2 minutes. • Turn off heat; stir in cheddar until melted and smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir drained cavatappi into pan with sauce until coated. Taste and season with salt if needed. If mixture is too thick, add a splash more water. TIP: If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer mixture now to a baking dish. • Using your hands, crush tortilla chips and evenly sprinkle over mac ’n’ cheese. Top with an even layer of Mexican cheese blend. • Broil until cheese melts, 2-3 minutes. TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning.
• Divide mac ’n’ cheese between bowls; drizzle with smoky red pepper crema. Top with scallion greens and as much hot sauce as you like. Serve.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
